MLB Player News

With regular closer Dylan Floro unavailable after pitching in three straight games and earning a victory in extra innings on Saturday night, it was Chargois tasked with protecting a two-run edge in the ninth on Sunday. It certainly wasn’t easy. He allowed a leadoff single to Chad Wallach, but he was erased on a double play ball off the bat of Taylor Ward. Chargois then walked Zach Neto and allowed a double to Hunter Renfroe -- putting the tying runs in scoring position for Mike Trout -- but bore down to get the superstar center fielder to pop out to second base to end it. The 32-year-old hurler isn’t likely to work his way into the mix for saves any time soon.

It’s been a nightmarish start to the season for Montgomery. After closing last season on a 50-homer pace through his 71-game debut, he has just a .175 batting average and 24 strikeouts through 18 games thus far. His raw power and defense remain elite, but it’s fair to fear how much this strikeout issue could hold him back.

The Rays never let Burke settle in here. After a one-two-three first inning, there was constant traffic on the bases and couldn’t miss enough bats to quell those rallies. In fact, he only forced three swings-and-misses all outing against a lineup that isn’t particularly tough to hold down. Yet, he’s on tap for a mildly interesting two-start week against the Diamondbacks and Nationals coming up. Proceed with caution.

Waldschmidt does a little bit of everything well and projects to hit for both average and power at the highest level. He’s off to a strong start at the Triple-A level, hitting .333 with two homers and one steal in 17 games. The 23-year-old’s path to the majors is a bit complicated with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) kicking off his rehab assignment and expected back soon. However, he should make it to Arizona sometime around midseason.

Weiss has pitched reasonably well with the exception of a disastrous relief outing at Coors Field earlier this month. The 29-year-old is too risky to trust in shallow mixed leagues, but he might be a decent streaming option in extremely deep formats since he’ll get the Rockies at Daikin Park. He’s unlikely to work more than a couple innings since he threw 64 in his last relief appearance.

Is Elder… good now? Sure, it was still the Marlins, but he was in complete control yet again. He allowed just two total hard-hit balls and very little traffic on the bases. Something has clicked with his slider which has become his primary pitch this season rather than the sinker he’s leaned on in the past. That slider was nasty diving low and below the zone all night while forcing all nine of his swings-and-misses. He’s lined up for a two-start week against the Nationals and Phillies coming up.

Iglesias worked around a two-out single by Xavier Edwards to cruise to another save. He now has four on the young season and is yet to give up a run with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched. The age-less wonder remains a very steady and reliable closer.

Finally, Riley hit his first home run of the season. It was a 400 foot blast at 109 mph off the bat and you could see the weight lifted off his shoulders as he rounded the bases. He still has an uphill climb ahead of him with just a .229 batting average and .645 OPS through 19 games after two consecutive poor seasons.

Hicks just continues to hit. His homerun briefly gave the Marlins a pulse in the eighth innings and his runs batted in gave him 18 on the season which is tied for the fourth-most in the league. He has an elite bat-to-ball ability with some of the lowest strikeout and whiff rates in the league and has found a groove this season by being more aggressive in the strike zone. Also, he’s started every game the Marlins have played against a right-handed pitcher this season and hit fourth in each one. He is a viable option at catcher in practically every league type.

Paddack is what he is at this point: a strike-thrower who will need some batted ball luck to get through an outing. He got that in this start as the Braves hit plenty of hard-hit balls which found gloves. In a bit of a blast from the past, his changeup was especially effective low and below the zone. Alas, Paddack is someone who shouldn’t be on your radar in many fantasy leagues. His next start is scheduled to come at home against the Cardinals.

Fermin was replaced by Luis Campusano behind the plate after taking a foul tip off his catcher’s mask. The 30-year-old will undergo evaluation for a possible concussion. There should be an update on his status following the game.